A recent story that came across my desk from the Associated Press describes how more and more young people are attending Confederate re-enactments.

This half-surprised me, half-didn't. On the one hand, every picture I ever see of Confederate enactments seems to be of a gray-mustached musketman. On the other hand, I happen to think that history is extremely 'hot' with my generation. You may not buy that, but in my opinion, if you can memorize Lindsay Lohan's birthday, and remember the names of celebrity children, you can probably make room for a few key Civil War dates.

Besides, re-enactments are like reality television! I mean, you get to pretend that you are a star! And you can even get kicked off the island-- that is, pretend to die in battle.

The story, by Greg Bluestein (a former Savannah Morning News reporting intern, a little bird tells me) describes how more and more youth down here in the south are being encouraged to join the "Children of the Confederacy," a sort of "pipeline" to the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

This is my first film fest. I've been here in Savannah for two years but the first year (the Roger Ebert year) I was still unpacking and last year I was working when all the good movies were playing! But this year, I was determined to go.

So far, I've covered opening night and seen "Babel" (which I loved!) and gone to "Everything is Illuminated." You can read my review of Everything is Illuminated today in the newspaper, or here on the site!

So anyway, I promised I would talk a bit about the Q&A with Liev Schreiber, who wrote "Everything is Illuminated." After the show, he agreed to take a few questions from the audience. I was one of those who grabbed the mike (although I didn't need it. I'm loud. But the coordinator insisted.) I asked about the cinematography, which I thought was beautiful, and where the movie was filmed. Liev (yeah, we're on a first-name basis now) said he used the same cinematographer as Darren Aronovsky: Matthew Libatique, who did "Requium for a Dream" and "Pi".

Okay, so when I was in seventh grade, my friend Mandy and I went to Town and Country Mall in suburban Chicago and saw "The Cutting Edge." (Yes. I remember who I went with and where we saw it. I love it that much)

I own it on DVD and whenever it's on TV, I watch it.

So imagine my nerdity when D.B. Sweeney came to town!

He was promoting his film, "Dirt Nap," which will probably be retitled "Two Tickets to Paradise" because no one knows [filtered word] Dirt Nap means. That's what he told me afterward when I went up and shook his hand. "Cutting Edge" aside, I really liked "Dirt Nap." It also starred John C. McGinley from Scrubs, and Moira Kelly was in it and she was a character named "Kate"! Oh the irony!

I adored "Little Children." It was by far one of the best pictures of the year. The acting was superb, directing superb. Just superb.

The theme of suburbia gone wrong reminded me a bit of "American Beauty," but I hated "American Beauty" (which was, ironically enough, directed by "Little Children" star Kate Winslet's husband, Sam Mendes) I guess I hated "American Beauty" because it seemed a bit TOO far-fetched to me. However, in "Little Children," I saw people I've encountered. I lived across the street from a sex offender growing up, for example, so I identified with the fear the neighbors felt.

You should totally see this film!!

Here are some pictures from the afterparty at Moon River, where I met Bruce Dern and Rex Reed. (Reed thought star Jackie Earl Harvey deserves an Oscar)